Asterix and The Actress was published in 2003 and was written and illustrated by Albert Uderzo.
Fans of the Asterix and Obelix series should know that A and O’s birthdays are on the same day. This is how this story begins.
On their birthday this year A and O are surprised when their mothers drop by the village. We learn that their fathers will be joining them later since they are busy with their Armorican souvenir business. Asterix is given a fancy sword as a present and Obelix gets a fancy helmet.
These two items were given to A and O’s fathers by a former drunk legionnaire (see Asterix and Caesar’s Gift) but we find out that they (the two items) belong to a high-ranking roman dignitary. A and O’s fathers are put in jail and the prefect in charge has to think of ways to get the helmet and sword back.
The sword and helmet belong to a man called Pompey. He wants to make sure that Caesar doesn’t know that he’s in Gaul so he needs the items back (?). The prefect’s plan is to send an actress into town who looks just like Panacea (see Asterix and the Legionnaire). She’ll seduce A and O and eventually get the shield and sword back.
By the end of the story A and O find out that she is just an actress. During the story, Pompey is trying to cause a revolt against Caesar.
I’m trying to figure out why the romans have to go to such great length to get the sword and helmet back. The importance of these items really isn’t stressed at all.
By the end of the story the actress who has been toying and manipulating A and O is treated with respect (?). Wouldn’t A and O be kind of pissed off at this woman?
Also, how would the prefect know about how A and O have a soft spot for Panacea?
This story is a pretty busy one! If you haven’t read previous Asterix books, you might find yourself a bit lost since it relies on a couple of characters from previous books. In one scene Asterix ends up on a rock sticking out in the ocean... a dolphin rescues him. I found this to be a bit out of place.
Well, I’ve finished reading another Asterix adventure and I can’t say I really got into this one. After René Goscinny passed away the A and O series lacked his wit and sense of storytelling. Uderzo does an acceptable job but there’s something lacking when reading books written and illustrated only by him. A and O don’t seem to feed off each other very well and I’m not that interested in reading the newer stories over and over again...
